The operator of a “dodgy box” streaming service came “very close indeed” to being jailed for criminal contempt after he defied a court order and destroyed evidence of his illegal operation, a judge in the High Court has said.
David Dunbar, of Manor Crescent, Roxborough, Co Wexford, was instead fined €30,000 by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey, who said he had to take into account that Mr Dunbar already owes Sky UK Ltd more than €500,000 arising from the case it took against him.
Since the broadcaster and telecommunications corporation took the civil case for breach of copyright, Mr Dunbar has, according to his own evidence, been the victim of credible threats and is in danger of losing his job. He may be facing criminal prosecution and inquiries by the Revenue service, the judge noted.
The case against Mr Dunbar arose from a simple tip-off, Mr Justice Sanfey said. People running or contemplating providing similar illegal operations should consider the “calamitous consequences” that can come with exposure.
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Sky was awarded damages of €480,000 and legal costs, expected to be in the region of €100,000, against Mr Dunbar. It also brought an application for his committal to prison for contempt after he failed to hand over material as ordered by the court.
Mr Justice Sanfey, in a reserved judgment on the criminal contempt application, said he wanted to make it “very clear” that the decision to impose a fine on Mr Dunbar did not mean future defendants who found themselves in similar positions would also avoid committal.
In an affidavit, Sky expressed scepticism about the extent to which Mr Dunbar made full disclosure regarding his income from the internet protocol television service, IPTV is Easy, which he provided to customers and about 15 resellers, and which he in turn was provided with by My Boom Media (MBM).
Mr Dunbar told the court he estimated he made approximately €480,000 in profit from the illegal operation between 2018 and 2024. However, Sky, in a replying affidavit, noted multiple five-figure transfers in accounts of Mr Dunbar’s that he had not explained.
It also pointed to a Reddit post in February 2025 where Mr Dunbar said he had “about 50ish k put away for college” for his children.
Sky drew attention to its investigation of Mr Dunbar’s betting accounts, which included 180,865 bets on his Bet365 account between August 2022 and May 2025, where the total stakes placed were €1,114,125 and the returns were €1,143,952. Mr Dunbar also had an account with Boylesports and may also have had a Ladbrokes account, it said.
When the case came before the judge, Mr Dunbar was not in court but was watching the case via video link. Mr Justice Sanfey delayed the case until the afternoon, so the defendant could be in court. Mr Dunbar informed the court he would have to catch a bus from Wexford, as he did not have a car.
In his affidavits to the court, Mr Dunbar said he bought a 2022 black Hyundai Santa Fe in February for €45,421 but sold it “at a considerable loss” in June to pay for legal representation in the case Sky took against him.
Soon after the case was initiated, the app used for his illegal streaming operation was no longer operational and an associated Telegram group disappeared, the court was told.
When representatives of Sky came to Mr Dunbar’s home he refused to let them in and deleted all the information on his desktop computer’s hard drive, Mr Dunbar said in an affidavit. He also contacted MBM and was immediately blocked from all contact with the service.
